ricky.merrefield

I should take the time to point out from the start that I’m no expert on evangelism. I couldn’t go toe to toe with Billy Graham. These are just thoughts running through my head.

I’d like to start with a cliche. That’s a good place to start, right?

“People don’t care what you know till they know that you care.”

I went on a mission trip to Scotland and Northern Ireland a few years ago. I spent the first week in Scotland in a sort of training camp for teenage missionaries. I then spent the next two weeks in Lisburn, Northern Ireland, reaching the local teenagers for Christ. It was a rather amazing experience. While at the training camp, I was taught a little skit on evangelism. It’s rather cheesy, but it gets the point across.

It starts with the “target” sitting on a bench in a park. The presumably heathen non-Christian needs to be converted, so a covert team of Super-Christians is dispatched to get the target to youth group (we were teenagers, remember). The first agent is dispatched to try the “turn or burn” method of conversion. She did an admirable job if spewing hellfire and brimstone all over the target, but the target didn’t bite. After much consolation and congratulations on a job well-attempted, agent two was dispatched. Agent two took the Baptist preacher approach (no offense) of talking up sanctification, justification, and the like. Agent two’s mission was abruptly aborted when they accidentally said “sanitation” instead of “sanctification” (there was a health report on the back of the target’s newspaper). The Super-Christians’ last hope lied in agent three. Agent three was dispatched to “chat up” the agent. If you can believe it, I played this role. I know you’re thinking that I am the perfect person to fill such a role. After discreetly sidling my way up next to the target on the bench, I cheerily asked her if she’d be interested in accompanying me to youth group. Taking her shoving the newspaper in my face as encouragement, I simply resorted to begging. It didn’t work. And can you believe I’ve never dated? I know! Crazy!

It’s a cheesy youth group skit, but it holds some truth. The target didn’t care what we thought, because she knew we were only interested in her as a number. We didn’t really care about her life; we just wanted to win the “see-who-can-invite-the-most-kids-to-youth-group” contest.

When you’re telling others about Christ, are you genuinely passionate about seeing their lives changed, or are they just another number?

Can I be bold for a moment? Let me say this: If you are pursuing people simply for the number, you are a detriment to the cause of Christ. I said it. You are a detriment to the cause of Christ.

When Christ came to earth, he did not shove a tract down the throat of every person he met. He didin’t speak of hellfire and brimstone to every person he met. He didn’t talk down to them like they were a lower breed of human. He hung out with them and built relationships with them. He didn’t disguise who he was or what his mission was, but he didn’t try and force anyone to make the decision. God gave everyone free will – the ability and responsibility to make the right choice.

What if every Christian simply forged genuine friendships with those they met, regardless of their faith? Regardless of their race? Regardless of their sexual orientation? (HELLO!)

What if we shined the light of Christ to every soul we encountered, without expecting a trophy in return? What if we sought glory for Christ instead of glory for ourselves?

Lord, let me never seek my own fame, but let me always seek to make you famous.